Shades of Grey
by Magicallioness
Summary: Arhiman’s prison has been weakened once again, his four chosen re-released upon the world. The second destruction of the Tree of Light and the fight in the temple have caused the structure to collapse, leaving darkness and corruption free to spread across
1. Why?

**Title:** Shades of Grey**  
Author:** Magicallioness**  
Rating: **starts of at K+, but will definitely be going up, probably all the way to M**  
Warning(s):** no beta. Spoilers ahead. Do not read if you haven't beaten/watched the latest game yet and do not want to know how it ends.**  
Beta:** none**  
Word count:** 1.196**  
Disclaimer:** Anything belonging to the PoP universe belongs Ubisoft and their partners, not me. Anything that's not theirs is mine, unless stated otherwise. I'm just playing around here, not making money, so please don't sue.**  
Author's note:** I've never written a PoP fic before, even though I've played SoT, WW and TT. And with good reason: I find Prince fiendishly difficult to write. The ending of the latest game however, left me with no choice ;). Hope I did okay, let me know what you think.**  
Summary:** Arhiman's prison has been weakened once again, his four chosen re-released upon the world. The second destruction of the Tree of Light and the fight in the temple have caused the structure to collapse, leaving darkness and corruption free to spread across the land, with no fertile grounds to stop it. Now Elika and her prince have to find another way to stop the god of darkness, or face the corruption of the entire world. Picks up right after the ending of the game.

**Chapter Summary: **"Anywhere but there," it is meant to be half a joke, but the look on her face as she watches the total destruction of her kingdom stills the light undertone in his voice. The realization that it's _his_ destruction of her kingdom chills his blood.

**  
Part ONE Twilight**

_  
Chapter 1 Why?_

Why? The question keeps plaguing him as he tracks into the dessert, Elika held securely in his arms. Why had he undone all they had accomplished, why had he set Arhiman free? Well, technically he wasn't free yet, but the temple had collapsed, there were no longer fertile grounds to feed power to Arhiman's prison, and he himself had cut open the Tree of Light; it was only a matter of time before the God of Darkness would pay the world a visit. Was she really worth all that?

Her question hadn't been accusatory, nor angry, but he wished it had been. Anything was better than the pain and betrayal that had shone through her voice. She didn't want to be brought back; she'd done her duty, died for her kingdom, for the safety of the world, and he had gone and thrown it all away in mere moments, thoughtlessly undoing her sacrifice. Why? He really didn't know.

All he knew were the ice-cold fingers that closed around his throat as he watched her reaching out to that tree, the ethereal light surrounding her quickly seeping into it. All he knew was the nauseating shock that spurred his legs into motion at her whispered apology, even though he'd realized he was too late. All he knew was the gaping emptiness and despair clawing at his chest as he watched her fall, limp and lifeless to the lush and green temple floor.

He glances at her resting form, her chest rising and falling gently with every breath, her skin warm and living as he holds her against his chest, and he knows he's made the right decision. She wasn't supposed to die; she's too good, too pure to lie rotting in a grave. They will find another way to defeat Arhiman, one that requires a price he _is_ willing to pay.

She stirs lightly before opening soft brown eyes, still hazy with sleep. A slight panic creeps across her face as her vision meets unfamiliar surroundings, but it melts away as soon as her eyes land on him. He looks down at her, glad his presence eases her mind, but still without anything to say: no answers to her question, no comment on their situation and certainly no witty remarks about her position. The silence stretches between them as she holds her tongue as well, studying his face instead, trying to peer into blue depths that he has long since closed off. A flash of emotion passes through her eyes as he refuses her entrance, but it is gone so quickly, he can't recognize it for what it is.

"You can put me down now," she says as she turns her head away. And he does, experiencing a distinct feeling of loss as she steps away from him and looks around. She's still unsteady on her feet, but pushes a hand out to ward him off as he steps up to steady her. It stings.

"Where are we going?" she asks, turning around to face him. He shrugs, before pointing behind them at the blackness seeping out of what used to be the Ahura temple. Now it's just a ruin, its remains a blackened corpse against a darkening sky, spewing foul blood out of every opening. Corruption creeps across the land like a moving entity of thick, dark oil, slinging out long tendrils to grab at anything that's living or green.

"Anywhere but there," it is meant to be half a joke, but the look on her face as she watches the total destruction of her kingdom stills the light undertone in his voice. The realization that it's _his_ destruction of her kingdom chills his blood. And as she drops to her knees and slams her fists into the desert sand, he doesn't have the strength or the words to comfort her; there is only suffocating guilt gripping at his throat as he wonders how he can ever make this right.

They stay like that for minutes: she with her head bowed, silent tears dripping into the sand, he staring into nothingness, fists clenched but arms unmoving through a powerlessness of his own making. For them, the world has come to a grinding halt: they failed, Arhiman is coming, the lands will be plunged into eternal darkness and life as they know it will come to an end. But time is ruthless and even though the very ground has been swept from under their feet, it keeps on moving, and with every passing minute the corruption closes in. Finally, Elika raises her head, and pulls herself to her feet.

"Hey, where are you going?" he wants to know as he scrambles after her. She keeps going, doesn't slow down to allow him to catch up.

"I'm going to find a way to stop Arhiman," she bites out, her tone harsh and unforgiving. But he's not fazed, and pulls her around when his long strides have helped him to reach her.

"How?" he wants to help, he needs to help, but he's afraid she won't let him after what he's done. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't. He also doesn't blame her for the outburst in answer to his question.

"I don't know! You've destroyed the last bit of my empire, the only way to keep Arhiman imprisoned that was left, I am the last of my people and I have no idea how to stop a god from destroying the world!" the tears never fall, but he sees them glistening over hazel brown irises, hears them in her voice. And without thinking he reaches out and pulls her lithe form against his chest, a comforting hand on her back.

"Don't worry princess, we'll find a way," he tells her, throwing their fates together once again. But she pushes away, fury now ablaze in her eyes.

"We? We?! You can go find your donkey and go back home, your work here is done, remember?" he swears she's punched him in the stomach, but her hands are still pushing against his chest and haven't moved. He drops his own hands from her shoulders, letting them fall limply at his sides.

"Do you really think so little of me? Do you actually believe I would set an evil god loose upon this world and leave you to deal with it?" she looks up at him sharply, her pushing hands frozen in place against his chest. "This is my mess, my responsibility and if I didn't think I need you and your magic to fix it, I would be doing this alone. I understand you don't want me anywhere near you after what I've done, I know you don't want my help, but I'm not leaving you to sort this out on your own."

She pulls her hands away from his chest, but her look is no less piercing, nor does it become any friendlier when she nods.

"I guess I don't have a choice then," and with that last blow to his stomach, she turns and starts walking.


	2. Lost

**Title:** Shades of Grey**  
Author:** Magicallioness**  
Rating: **still only K+, but will definitely be going up, probably all the way to M**  
Warning(s):** no beta. **  
Beta:** none**  
Word count:** 1.312**  
Disclaimer:** Anything belonging to the PoP universe belongs Ubisoft and their partners, not me. Anything that's not theirs is mine, unless stated otherwise. I'm just playing around here, not making money, so please don't sue.**  
Author's note:** I'm trying to feel my way around her, finding out where Prince and Elika stand with each other. This chapter was surprisingly easy to write.  
**Summary:** Arhiman's prison has been weakened once again, his four chosen re-released upon the world. The second destruction of the Tree of Light and the fight in the temple have caused the structure to collapse, leaving darkness and corruption free to spread across the land, with no fertile grounds to stop it. Now Elika and her prince have to find another way to stop the god of darkness, or face the corruption of the entire world. Picks up right after the ending of the game.

**Chapter Summary: **"Elika?" he asks cautiously, not understanding the expression of pure wonder on her face. She shakes her head and retreats into the cave.

_  
Chapter 2 Lost_

She watches the wind chase loose sand across the desert, and muses on how much they are like it: thrown here and there, pushed along by circumstances they haven't created and cannot change. Well, maybe this latest development is of their own making, _his_ to be exact, but she can't help but feel it was just another push towards something bigger. Apparently Ormandz isn't through with her yet. What she fails to understand is, why he has to be involved.

A thief and a traveller, he goes about his life without a goal, no one to serve, nothing to care for but his own hide. It's all she stands against and yet she can't help the bitter taste of envy that sometimes enters her mouth when comparing their lifestyles. Her duty weighs heavy on her mind, and there are moments when she longs for the life he leads, for the weightlessness of it. But she always comes to realize weightlessness also means aimlessness: his life's without purpose, his soul directionless, just as they are right now.

"Do you recognize anything?" she wants to know. He's the traveller, he should know his way around, spot a familiar landscape, a tree, a rock, maybe even a road, to give them a starting point for their journey. She would think about a destination later. But the look on his face as he scans the surroundings is empty and he doesn't need to tell her that he has just as little notion of where they are as she does. He does anyway.

"I haven't got a clue. And on top of that, it's getting dark. I really think we should find a safe place to spend the night, the desert can get awfully cold." She nods, feeling no desire to actually speak to him. The searing heat is already lifting, and while they welcome the cool that seems to seep into the air now, it won't be long before it'll turn icy and they will curse it, whishing for the burning flames of sunlight. She keeps walking, looking around for any appropriate hiding places, but the truth is, she wouldn't know one if she saw one: she grew up in a palace were the rooms were being kept cool during the day and lightly heated during the night. She's never spent a night outside in her entire life.

"Here, I think this cave is uninhabited," her prince motions for her to come over. Her prince… why does she call him that? The Concubine spoke to him in that way and he didn't comment. Then again, she also called him little man and he hadn't said a thing about that either. But the fact that the Concubine called him her prince had irked Elika for some reason. It sparked a burning flame inside her chest that made her claim the name for herself; he was _her_ prince, not the Concubine's. But why? Why the possessiveness of someone she didn't even like? Why did she still think of him that way after his betrayal?

She thinks about it, trying to come up with an answer as she crawls into the darkness behind her prince, but gets nowhere. Using her magic, she lights a small flame in the palm of her hand and lets it travel around the interior of the cave. It's small, almost claustrophobic, leaving just enough room for the both of them, but maybe that's for the best. At least this way no desert creatures will make their way into the cave with them.

"I knew you'd come in handy," the prince mumbles as he crawls back out. It's a joke, his way of asking her to talk to him again, a peace offering of sorts. She's only known him for a couple of days, but she recognises it anyway. And as she crawls out of the tight space after him, she realizes she wants to take it. This man hasn't brought her back from the dead out of spite, he didn't call on Arhiman to gain power or riches - things he seems to be quite taken with - he did it to save her and as thanks she gave him the cold shoulder. She could forgive her father for the exact same thing, why not him? She shakes her head at herself; things aren't quite that simple. She'd made her choice, sacrificed herself so her people, and the world would be safe. It hadn't been easy to just give up her life, especially not after he'd gone and shown her how thrilling and exciting it could be. She'd wanted to live so very much, but to save everybody, to save him, she'd given that all up and he had – for some reason he still hadn't explained – nullified all that, disgraced her sacrifice and pulled her back from darkness into more darkness. A heavy glove on her shoulder brings her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, you ok?" his voice is soft, full of the concern he tries so hard to hide and she feels her anger at him dissipate a bit. Yes, he has royally screwed up on top of being a regular ass, but he has helped her while he didn't need to and he's here now, trying to make it right. She nods at him, still finding no reason to talk, but there's a small smile playing around her lips. It lights a tiny spark in his eyes and it's only now that she realizes how dull they have been.

"We need to get some firewood, or else we'll freeze to death tonight. Food would also be nice, but I'm guessing that would be too much to ask," he explains, before starting out in search of some dead tree branches.

Using two stones he produces from somewhere around his neck, the prince sets alight the branches they've collected. Elika welcomes the warm glow the flames emit; the sun has sunken behind the horizon and a chilling cold has swept over the desert sand. She recognized the fruits on one of the trees they passed on their scavenging hunt for wood and gives half of her harvest to her prince, before biting into one of her own.

"Warmth and food, what luxury," the prince grins. She sends him a small smile. It's no more than the quirking of a lip really, but it seems to be enough for him: he attacks his fruit with vigour.

A couple of fruits aren't much in the way of sustenance, and they are gone quickly, but Elika figures she should be thankful for anything at the moment. After all, they are lost… in so many ways. The knowledge envelops her in a cold the fire can't fight off and suddenly she's so very tired. She hugs herself for a moment before announcing she's going to try and get some sleep. He nods and motions for her to go first, but she's mesmerized by the glistening black tendrils of hair that fall around his face when he pulls the scarf from his head.

His hair reaches a strong jaw line, long enough to cast his face into mysterious shadows, but not so long it looks unkempt. The orange light of the campfire paints his tanned skin a golden brown, the jagged scar under his right eye standing out like a work of art instead of an ugly mark. And amidst all those dark colours, the hellish blue of his eyes. Eyes that give you the impression you could look deeply into them, but that block you out nonetheless.

"Elika?" he asks cautiously, not understanding the expression of pure wonder on her face. She shakes her head and retreats into the cave. But she knows now; she's seen his face completely for the first time and she knows: he's beautiful.


	3. Contact

**Title:** Shades of Grey**  
Author:** Magicallioness**  
Rating: **K+, but will definitely be going up, probably all the way to M**  
Warning(s):** no beta. **  
Beta:** none**  
Word count:** 1.096**  
Disclaimer:** Anything belonging to the PoP universe belongs Ubisoft and their partners, not me. Anything that's not theirs is mine, unless stated otherwise. I'm just playing around here, not making money, so please don't sue.**  
Author's note:** I actually pulled out a map of the ancient Persian Empire for this, found a place called Ashur. Seemed pretty close to Ahura to me, so I decided to place them there. Working with a fictional Persian Empire just wouldn't work, because I have no idea what the area would've looked like.  
**Summary:** Arhiman's prison has been weakened once again, his four chosen re-released upon the world. The second destruction of the Tree of Light and the fight in the temple have caused the structure to collapse, leaving darkness and corruption free to spread across the land, with no fertile grounds to stop it. Now Elika and her prince have to find another way to stop the god of darkness, or face the corruption of the entire world. Picks up right after the ending of the game.

**Chapter Summary: **"Hey!" she laughs, wiping the wetness out of her eyes. He wants to laugh at her, but doesn't get the change, because she plunges a blue glowing hand into the river...

_  
Chapter 3 Contact_

He wakes at the crack of dawn, finding himself protectively curled around Elika, feeling a strange warmth flooding his chest at the way she's buried her head under his chin, her hands folded between their bodies. He strokes the deep brown hair that tickles his neck and cheek before quietly disentangling himself and making his way outside.

Prodding the smouldering pile of ash that was their fire, and throwing on the last branches to get it going again, he lets his gaze drift over the desert: sand, rocks and cacti in all shapes and sizes, the occasional tree, but nothing he recognizes. Still, he knows they should be at the edge of the barren sand, otherwise there would be no fruit-bearing trees here.

He allows himself a satisfied smirk as tiny yellow flames start licking at the dry branches he threw onto the ashes. Now if only they had some water. The juices in the fruits Elika found would keep them going for a while, but if they didn't find a way out of the desert today, thirst would become more than just a nuisance. A shuffling noise from inside the cave distracts him from his thoughts as the princess of the Ahura makes her way into daylight. She brushes off her clothes distractedly as she looks around for any familiar landmarks as well and finds none either. Shivering, she sits down by the fire with a sigh.

"What about you?" she asks as he drapes his long jacket around her shoulders. It has no sleeves and an open front, but it's all he has to offer.

"I'll be fine," he nods as she pulls the brown material around her. He would sit behind her, pull her into his lap to warm her up, but he knows she won't let him -hell, he'd probably be flying across the desert with a black eye to boot – so he resigns himself to a trek back to the tree Elika found and getting them both 'breakfast'.

When he returns she's no longer shivering, but seems comfortable staring into the dancing flames. He hands her some fruits and she gives him back his jacket. Shrugging it back on he's dismayed to find it smells like her. He doesn't know why exactly, but he doesn't like her warm, ginger scent floating around him all day. Commenting on that in any way however, seems like a bad idea; the princess seems to have softened up a bit, but he's a long way from joking around with her again.

"I think we should reach the end of the desert if we keep moving north," he says after breakfast. Taking into account the direction they came from and the position of the sun, it's the best bet he can make.

"You think?" is all Elika has to say to that. There's a kind of sadness hanging over her that he doesn't like. She's preoccupied, easily irritated and has lost all of the positiveness she seemed to posses when they were healing the fertile grounds. It's understandable, yes, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

"I have no way to be sure, but that's my best bet," his voice is honest. After what he did, there's no sense in bragging, no use for swagger. He might get it back at some point, but right now, he just wants to apologize to her over and over and over. But he doesn't.

"At least it's better then mine," she concludes darkly before setting out in the direction he suggested. If he'd hoped she'd be more talkative than yesterday he's sorely disappointed. Quiet reigns for hours and throws him back into his own world of guilt and confusion. The sun has taken up it's beating on their heads once again, blistering heat slowing down their movements. His expression stays dark and troubled, the scarf back in place, sword at his side. It isn't until he sees a sparkle on the horizon that the mood lightens a bit.

"Do you see that?" he asks, making sure it isn't the sun playing tricks on his vision. But she nods, using a hand to shield her eyes from the sharp light.

"Something sparkling," she comments and he can't help but feel joy bubble up in his chest nor the smile when he tells her that it's water. They pick up the pace and actually run the last part of the way towards the river. Because that's what it is: the Tigris flows quickly and surely through the canyon below.

They climb down over the rocks with practised ease, finding their way and each other's helping hands flawlessly. The first few swallows of water are like heaven on his tongue and he drinks smiling until he's had his fill. A sideways glance reveals an equally joyous smile on the princess' face and suddenly bold, he splashes her with water.

"Hey!" she laughs, wiping the wetness out of her eyes. He wants to laugh at her, but doesn't get the change, because she plunges a blue glowing hand into the river, sending a fountain over his head and leaving him completely drenched. He launches himself at her with a battle cry, intent on dipping her into the water, expecting her to put up a fight. But she's so surprised at his sudden charge that she doesn't react at all and his momentum sends them both into the refreshingly cold liquid. Laughing and spluttering, they climb back onto the riverbank, flopping onto their backs side by side, trying to catch their breaths. It's not until his hand accidentally brushes against hers, that they come crashing back to reality.

She gets up so fast she almost slips on the still slightly wet rocks making up the riverbank, and, ignoring the disappointment in his eyes, she turns around.

"We should get going." He gets up more slowly; taking his time to recover from the sudden mood swing and hating that it had to be the physical contact between them that caused such a reaction. She had been sleeping contently in his arms just this morning, dammit.

"If we head upriver, we should reach Nineveh before nightfall," he explains, ignoring his own feeling of loss at the way she once again pulls away from him. Or perhaps not quite, because this time she doesn't walk away from him, but waits for him to lead the way.


	4. Nineveh

**Title:** Shades of Grey**  
Author:** Magicallioness**  
Rating: **K+, but will definitely be going up, probably all the way to M**  
Warning(s):** none.**  
Beta:** Gegegehu, but I get to call him Greg :).**  
Word count:** 1.322**  
Disclaimer:** Anything belonging to the PoP universe belongs Ubisoft and their partners, not me. Anything that's not theirs is mine, unless stated otherwise. I'm just playing around here, not making money, so please don't sue.**  
Author's note(s):** Chapters 1,2 and 3 have been revised, thanks to my wonderful beta Gegegehu, who also found time to wrestle the grammar and spelling in this chapter. He's the best, 'cause really, how many beta's do you know that can actually make you double over from laughing at your own mistakes? Just keep in mind he's mine!  
**Summary:** Arhiman's prison has been weakened once again, his four chosen re-released upon the world. The second destruction of the Tree of Light and the fight in the temple have caused the structure to collapse, leaving darkness and corruption free to spread across the land, with no fertile grounds to stop it. Now Elika and her prince have to find another way to stop the god of darkness, or face the corruption of the entire world. Picks up right after the ending of the game.

**Chapter Summary: **"You're a liar," she states and turns away from him. "Oh, get of your high horse! You weren't exactly being honest about your 'impending death' earlier, now were you?"

_Chapter 4 Nineveh_

"So, you've been to Nineveh before?" she asks tensely, as if she's afraid of the answer. He glances at her from the corner of his eyes, trying to gauge if she's making conversation – which he deems unlikely – or really worried about what the city will be like. He's not surprised to find it's the latter. She has, after all, never been outside her kingdom, has no idea about the different faces a city has, let alone about strange cities.

"Once or twice. It's not too big. Large enough to rest and get some supplies, maybe even a little information on where to go next, but not so large that it houses lots of beggars and criminals. If you stick to the good parts of town you'll be safe, even at night," he explains readily, glad for something to break the silence. She frowns at the mention of criminals and beggars. He knows she's not so naïve as to not know about the existence of such people, but having never seen them in real life, he imagines the idea can be quite daunting. Mainly to keep the suffocating silence at bay, but also to try and take away some of her unease he proceeds to tell her all he knows about Nineveh. It's history; it's inhabitants even when and why he was here before. He keeps talking until the city walls loom up in the distance, across the river.

"Great," Elika snaps: "You just decided not to mention the city's on the _other_ side of the river?" His look is full of surprise; he really didn't think it would matter. But a smile creeps over his mouth and into his eyes as he realizes she has no idea. He toys with the idea of playing a joke on her for some time, but decides against it again. He's not willing to put even more strain on their friendship – if that's even what they have anymore – so he explains that a ferry travels back and forth between the city and the port at the other side of the river and they can get across for a few coins. He neglects to inform her that he doesn't have any gold on him, not even a valuable piece of jewelery.

"One silver piece for the both of you, or no crossing." Unfortunately, the ferryman is inconvincible; none of his jokes or slick talk gets them aboard. He's ready to give up when Elika steps from behind him and, looking up at the sailor sweetly while flashing her cleavage, asks the ferryman about his boat. The prince's hand curls into a fist, ready to smash in the ferryman's face as he ogles her breasts, all but drooling on her, and proceeds to boast about his ship. So blinded by his anger is he, that he almost misses Elika's sign to move behind the man, where his purse lies on the table. Almost, but not quite, so after Elika has had to listen to minutes of innuendo laced talk about how big the boat is and how much power the ferryman holds in his hands every day, the requested gold piece is grudgingly thrown into the ferryman's beckoning hands and they climb aboard.

"Ugh, that man was disgusting," Elika exclaims when they've been safely dropped in front of the city gates. She suppresses a shudder at the way the man kept leering at her from behind the rudder, making obscene gestures with his hips.

"I'll say. Suddenly I don't look that bad, do I," he jokes, to tired and worn to care if she minds anymore. The sun has disappeared again; letting the cold have its way with all those who haven't found shelter yet. They have gone two days with almost no food and no water to speak of: he's thirsty, hungry and in dire need of a bath and apart from those things, he can't be brought to care much about anything else at the moment. Her answer almost glues his feet to the ground though.

"I never said you did." He starts to turn towards her, but she brushes past him, marches up to the city guards and requests entrance. But, as he expected, the guards have questions.

"What is your business in Nineveh?" one of them wants to know. He's broad shouldered; his face covered in a straggly beard and long brown hair, his posture that of one who commands respect and gets it. The prince doesn't know the uniforms in this part of the lands, so he has no idea of the man's rank, but he can guess by the guard's presence that he's not some foot soldier.

"We're on our way to Cappadocia, my partner and I, to conclude some business there. But the way is long and not kind on those who are unaccustomed to travel. We seek food, shelter and some supplies to continue our route. You see, we lost our donkey in a sandstorm and…" he addresses the guard politely, his voice kind and unthreatening, but all his muscles are tense, ready to react at the first sign of trouble. Because these men – he knows – won't go after him, they'll set their sights on the pretty female at his side and he'll die before he lets any one of them touch her. The guard however, has obviously had enough of his explanation and interrupts his tale.

"Alright, alright, enter," he ushers them through the gates and onto the main road that leads towards the city centre.

The prince almost walks into Elika when she freezes on the spot, looking around at the rows upon rows of white houses, overcome by the sheer number of people mulling about, covering her ears against the city buzz and the mixed noises of goats, donkeys and merchants. He gently takes her hands away from her ears, pulling her out of sight of the gate, so the guards don't spot that he was lying earlier. Once she's gotten over the initial shock, she rounds on him a sharp finger poking into his chest.

"You said it wasn't too big!" It's an accusation, a question and a warning all rolled into on and the prince throws up his hands in surrender immediately, thinking this might not have been the best course of action after all.

"Okay, so it's huge, the largest city for miles around… I just didn't want to scare you," he tries to explain himself, alarmed by the look of utter disgust that takes over her face.

"You're a liar," she states and turns away from him.

"Oh, get of your high horse! You weren't exactly being honest about your 'impending death' earlier, now were you?" his voice betrays true anger and he no longer moves aside to let people pass, instead forcing the ever moving stream of men, women and children to part and flow around them, like a stream flows around a rock. She turns around to face him again.

"That was necessary, this… this was convenient," she tells him, gesturing around wildly. An angry sound escapes the prince's throat as he looks away in irritation.

"So you decide what's necessary and what's not, huh?" he turns his head back around to look at her, his eyes hard and cold with anger.

"I never asked you to tag along!" she explodes, exasperated beyond belief. His jaw tightens and he continues through clenched teeth.

"Fine, find your own way then. Let's see how well you handle yourself when you're on your own!" he nearly yells at her and barely registers her clipped 'Fine' as she turns and walks away from him. Shock roots him to the ground a moment too long and she's swallowed up by the crowd.

"Elika, wait! Elika!"


End file.
